


Ménage(rie) à Deux

by dontyoublink



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A pinch of College AU, Damian Wayne Feels, F/M, Marinette is the Guardian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25415926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dontyoublink/pseuds/dontyoublink
Summary: A potential ally appears in Gotham just in time to help the Batfamily face down a formidable enemy. What Robin finds confusing is that she's wearing a different costume each time he runs into her. Where is she getting all of them? Why are they all animal themed? And most importantly, when did he start looking forward to seeing her on patrol?
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 351
Kudos: 913





	1. Multimouse

**Author's Note:**

> Ménage à deux = a couple
> 
> Ménagerie = a collection of animals
> 
> Hello! Those of you who read my most recent Daminette one-shot know that I had the idea for this story bouncing around in my head. After hearing that people would be interested in it, I had a burst of motivation and whipped this first chapter out. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Personality of the Rat](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/rat.htm): quick-witted, resourceful, smart, and imaginative

It was a relatively quiet night in Gotham. Usually Robin would appreciate this, but tonight he would welcome any distraction from the chattering of his brothers in his ear.

“C’mon, Damian—”

“No names in the field, Nightwing.”

“— _Robin_ , we just want to know how your first week at college was!”

“It was fine, just as I told you _every day_ after classes.” He was already starting to wish that he had moved to a dorm instead of staying at the manor, even though it would make his job as Robin more difficult.

“He wants details, baby bird. Like which classes you enjoy or if you’ve made any friends yet.”

“Ha! That’s a funny joke, Red. You know it takes way more than a week for people to warm up to demon spawn.”

“I was being optimistic!”

Robin grit his teeth. “Classes are acceptable. The other students act just like my peers at Gotham Academy did.” By that, he meant watching him while his back was turned and either avoiding him or approaching him looking for connections to the rich and famous. “Now will the three of you focus on patrol?”

“Not so fast kid. I want to know why you didn’t go to any parties this weekend. You’re in college, you’re supposed to live it up!”

“I’m turning off my comm now. And don’t call me ‘kid,’ Hood, we both know I’m more mature than you.”

“Batman wouldn’t like that.” Nightwing's attempted reprimand was halfhearted, as if he knew he had already lost the battle.

“Then it’s a good thing Batman isn’t on patrol tonight.” Before Nightwing could respond, Robin pressed a button on the device in his ear, cutting off the voices and leaving him with much-welcomed silence. He didn’t feel too bad about it, knowing that Oracle could override his settings if something pressing came up.

He enjoyed the peace as he ran across rooftops and grappled between buildings, on alert for suspicious sights and sounds from below. This was his first patrol in two weeks; his father had benched him so he could “have time to adjust to this major transition in life” or something. Either way, Robin was glad to be back in the field.

As soon as he landed on the next roof, he glanced over the edge and was met with a somewhat strange sight. Two men were zip tied to poles along the side of the building a few yards apart. They were alternating between yelling at each other and looking around the alley, as if trying to spot something. He was about to jump down and investigate when a flash of light in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned silently, only to see a young woman who was definitely not there when he first landed.

A quick scan revealed that she was wearing a skintight suit that was gray around her torso and upper thighs but black along her arms and legs. There were pink accents along the suit, which matched the pink ties holding up her black hair in two—what did Steph call them—space buns. Her mask was also pink, which offset her bright blue eyes. Something wrapped around her waist and dangled behind her, almost like a…tail? A black pendant that hung from her neck caught his eye, but he couldn’t make out anything special about it. What was most concerning, besides the fact that she was unfamiliar and therefore an _unknown_ , was the fact that she was holding a gun.

Still in the shadows, Robin pulled out a birdarang and flung it at the woman. It hit her hand—though it didn’t pierce her suit, he noted—and she dropped the gun with a surprised cry. As she turned, he threw a bolas at her legs, hoping to catch her quickly. She leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding it, and simultaneously unwrapped the tail-like object from her waist and whipped it towards him. It connected around his ankle and she pulled, yanking him off his feet. Rather than hit the ground on his back, he used his momentum to maneuver into a back handspring, forcing her to unwind her—was that a _jump rope_?—lest he rip it from her hands.

As he landed in a defensive position, out of the shadows now, he heard her gasp. “Robin?”

She stuck her arms out in front of her, palms facing him in a placating gesture. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea it was you! I thought someone was attacking me!”

At her words, he dropped his fighting stance, though he remained wary. “To be fair, I was.” He narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”

“Oh!” She gave him a blinding grin. “You can call me Multimouse.”

That explained the tail. “Really? You chose a mouse theme?”

Multimouse glared. “Like you can talk, _little bird_.”

“It was a legacy mantle, I didn’t choose it,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “Anyway, why are you here?”

She shifted her weight on her feet and clasped her hands behind her back, almost as if she were nervous. “Haha, well, I’m new in town, so I thought I’d go for a quick run, see if anyone needed help, you know, the usual.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And is that why you have a gun?”

“What?” she asked, confused, before a flash of recognition lit up her face. “Oh! That?” She pointed to the gun lying off to the side. “I took that off one of those guys tied up in the alleyway. They looked like they were fighting, and he had just pulled it out when I showed up. Luckily I was able to knock them out before he could use it!” She flashed him another bright smile.

“So, you broke up the fight and took the gun. Now what are you going to do?” he questioned. He was curious to see what her plan was, if only to learn more about her and her abilities.

“I called the police about the two men.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “I’m not a fan of police, especially not in this country, but I don’t know of any other options right now. I was trying to figure out what to do with the gun when you showed up, because I definitely don’t want to hand it over to them.” Her eyes suddenly widened with excitement. “Wait, you probably know how to safely get rid of it! Can you take it?” As she asked the question, she gently kicked the weapon over to him.

He glanced down at it, then looked back up to her. “I can, if you answer a few questions first.”

Her posture immediately changed. Whereas before she stood tall and confident, she now hunched over and grasped her elbows, as if trying to make herself smaller. “Uh, okay,” she said hesitantly.

“Are you a meta?”

Now she looked confused. “A what?”

“A metahuman,” he said, a bit caught off-guard. Everyone in this country knew what metas were. “Someone who was born with or subsequently developed powers.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m just a regular person,” she replied with a hint of nerves in her voice. That made him even more suspicious, but he decided to move on rather than risk spooking her. She already looked prepared to bolt.

“Where are you from?”

“Not here,” she grinned cheekily.

He rolled his eyes. “Obviously.”

Her grin lessened into a smaller, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry for the vague answer, but it’s better if people don’t know I’m here.”

He frowned. “Why? Are you on the run?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not. But I really can’t tell you more than that.”

“Fine.” He pulled out his handheld communicator to check the time and send a message to his family. “Patrol is nearly over, so I can take you to meet the rest of my team to verify—”

The strangled laugh that came from Multimouse prompted him to look back up. When he did, he noticed that she had already put distance between them and kept backing up toward the edge of the roof.

“That’s okay!” she said a little too energetically, with a strained smile. He started slowly moving toward her, matching her pace for pace. “I don’t really want to get involved in your business, and I wasn’t even planning on meeting you tonight, or any night, so I think I’m just going to go—”

“WAIT!” he shouted as she leapt off the roof. He sprinted forward, but it was too late. He leaned over the lip of the roof to scan the street below, but there was no sign of her. She had disappeared.

* * *

A short while later, he was in the Batcave recounting the interaction to his brothers, father, and pseudo-sisters as they sat around the debriefing table. This included Cassandra and Stephanie, who had not been on patrol but were intrigued by the appearance of a new potential vigilante.

“…and then she jumped off the roof and vanished.”

“What do you mean by ‘vanished’?” Steph asked.

“I mean she could give Father a run for his money.” He shot the man an amused glance while the others laughed. Bruce just rubbed his temple before speaking up.

“What’s your assessment?”

“Black hair, blue eyes, approximately five foot two—” Dick started humming some old jazz song, but Damian ignored him, “—seemed to be around my age, though I’m not certain about that. Her outfit is made of some sort of reinforced material, seeing as the birdarang didn’t cut through it. Despite her odd choice of weapon, she wielded it proficiently; that combined with her agility and reflexes suggests that she has some sort of combat experience.”

Bruce nodded. “Good. Anything else?”

Damian frowned. “She had a flawless American accent, but she made a few comments that implied that she is from another country.”

Tim leaned forward. “Like what?”

“She said something about not liking the police, ‘especially not in this country.’ A weird emphasis, but not damning. However, when I asked if she was meta, she wasn’t familiar with the term.” He looked at Cass, know that she had the most experience operating internationally.

“It’s not common outside America,” she confirmed.

“She seemed nervous once I explained what the word meant. I don’t think her claim to be a regular person was a complete lie, but I believe she was holding back information, information that she does not want us specifically to have,” he concluded.

“So, what are you thinking?” Jason asked. “A powered object, like the lantern ring? A magic user?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Damian admitted. “The only incidences that point toward anything out of the ordinary are the criminals’ statements that they never saw her and how quickly she appeared and disappeared from the roof.”

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments, mulling over this information. Eventually, Barbara spoke up. “I’ll get a search for the name ‘Multimouse’ going. It’ll start in America, if only to rule it out, and go from there.”

“Thank you, Barbara,” Bruce said. “That’s it for tonight. Go take some showers and _get some sleep_.” He shot a stern look at Tim, who just rolled his eyes before shuffling off.

“And Damian,” he added, causing his son to pause as he left the table, “good work tonight.”

On the outside, Damian just nodded. But on the inside, the part of him that was still that bratty ten-year-old seeking his father’s approval positively glowed.

Not that he’d ever admit it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UWOiDJNAuA) the song Dick was humming. Did somebody say foreshadowing???
> 
> I can't promise a regular updating schedule for this; the chapters will likely get longer and therefore take longer to write the further into the story we get. But I can say that I have the overarching story established, as well as how I want to structure the story, so hopefully that'll help! Please let me know what you think!


	2. Hund

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second meeting. Also, Damian officially hates his siblings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the positive response to the first chapter! I hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> [Personality of the Dog](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/dog.htm#personality): loyal, honest, amiable, kind, cautious, and prudent

It was a week later, and Robin once again found himself on a relatively tranquil patrol. In fact, it had been quiet all week. To some, it might seem like a respite; to his family, it was the calm before the storm.

He was traveling across the rooftops as usual when he spotted a group of four men following a woman down a dark street. Between the size of the group and the fact that none of them had guns, he deduced that they were likely traffickers. He smiled darkly at the chance to take down some truly despicable people. Using his grappling hook, he swung down into the street, planting his feet in one man’s back and sending him flying into another. When they hit the ground, they were knocked unconscious.

Now he could focus on the remaining two; unfortunately, they were armed with butterfly knives. When one man swiped at him, he deftly dodged, catching the man’s wrist in the process. He squeezed until the trafficker was forced to drop the weapon, which he then kicked away. He punched the man in the face, sending him to the ground, and spun around just in time to grab the wrist of the fourth man, who had tried to sneak up on him. He used the same trick to disarm and take down the man, and then he heard a body hit the ground with a grunt of pain behind him.

He turned once again to see a figure sitting on the legs of the first man he had knocked out, who must have woken up while he was distracted. The person was zip tying the trafficker’s hands behind his back. They were wearing a bodysuit that was brown on their stomach, arms, and legs but faded into black on their back. The dark color masked the equally dark escrima sticks strapped there. They had a black mask covering the top half of their face, and he noticed a collar necklace around their neck. Their hair was tied in a low ponytail that slid over their shoulder as they leaned down.

He was about to demand they identify themselves when they looked up and said, “Hi, little bird.”

He knew that voice. And those eyes. “Multimouse?”

She shook her head as she stood up and walked over to him. “Nope! Tonight, I’m Hund.”

“German?” he asked

“Because I’m the colors of a German Shepherd! Clever, right?” She placed her hands on her hips.

“So you’re dog-themed tonight,” he said, brow furrowing. “Why do you have two different suits?”

She laughed as she moved away and started tying up another guy. “Oh, I have many more than two. Maybe you’ll get to see them all someday,” she winked.

Robin ducked his head as he pulled a couple more zip ties from his belt, hoping to cover up the sudden, inexplicable blush he felt on his cheeks. He made short work of the remaining two traffickers. When he was done, he looked up and was somewhat surprised to see Hund still there.

“I could’ve handled it myself,” he stated, crossing his arms. He was aiming for intimidating, but by Hund’s smirk he could see he failed.

“No need to pout,” she teased, before growing more serious. “I know you could’ve, but I saw you and had to help.”

“Why? You said that you don’t want to meet my team or get involved in our business. To that end, wouldn’t it have been better to stay away from me?” he questioned.

She shrugged. “Yeah, but you know what they say about dogs and loyalty,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“You…feel loyal to me?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice.

“I mean, you’re the first vigilante I met here,” she answered, rubbing the back of her neck, “and you were kinda nice once you stopped attacking me.”

He let out a disbelieving scoff. “I think you’re the first person to ever describe me as ‘nice.’ But does this loyalty mean you’ll come meet my team?”

“Nice try, but no,” she laughed.

“You know you’re going to run into them one day,” he pointed out.

“Not if I can help it,” she said, walking towards him. She stopped when she was just a foot away. “Besides, I much prefer running into you.”

He raised his eyebrows, once again ignoring the heat on his cheeks. “Are you flirting with me?”

Her grin turned a bit feral. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m trying to ruffle you feathers, so to speak, so you’ll be too distracted to chase me when I disappear.”

“Well it’s not working,” he said, glaring.

“Isn’t it?” And with that, she darted around him. He turned in time to see her bounding up a fire escape and, true to her word disappearing over the rooftops.

He watched in silence, not quite sure what to think. Suddenly, he heard a crackling noise as his comm came to life.

“You know we could hear all of that, right?” Red Robin informed him.

Wonderful. His siblings were going to give him hell the rest of the night. Maybe he actually would start that apartment hunt.

* * *

Once again, Damian found himself sitting at the debriefing table about to discuss the mysterious new vigilante. Although this time felt less like a formal report and more like an opportunity for his family to pester him. Especially since Batman was still finishing up his patrol.

“C’mon Little D, level with us: is she cute?” Dick asked enthusiastically.

Jason smirked. “Of course she is, otherwise her distraction wouldn’t have worked.”

“I still can’t believe you had to ask if she was flirting,” Tim said, shaking his head. “I mean, we knew you weren’t good with social situations, but this is worse than we thought.”

“ _Enough_ ,” Damian hissed, slamming a hand on the table. “Her face is obscured by a mask, so I cannot gauge her physical appearance.”

“That’s not a ‘no,’” Stephanie whispered to Cass.

Damian shot them a glare, then continued. “And her so-called ‘distraction’ was not successful. I considered the options and decided that forcing her to meet everyone would be detrimental to our future working relationship.”

“And your future romantic relationship,” Barbara muttered, earning a high-five from Dick.

He swore he could feel a vein throbbing in his temple. “Lastly, I’m well aware of what flirting is.”

It was quiet for a moment, and then—

“Prove it,” Cass said, eyes glittering dangerously.

He raised an eyebrow. “And how would I do that?”

Jason answered for her. “Next time she flirts with you, flirt back.”

“That would be completely unprofessional.” Damian crossed his arms and tried to mask the anxious feeling the thought gave him.

“Oh please, we all know that Bruce and Selina have done way worse while suited up,” Tim retorted.

Everyone at the table shuddered, thinking of the night that Bruce had forgotten to turn off his comm.

“Anyway, if you’re too scared then you don’t have to do it,” Stephanie said while examining her nails with practiced nonchalance.

Damian scowled. He knew that Steph was baiting him. And he knew that all his siblings knew too. He should just back down, but his pride wouldn’t let him ignore a direct challenge.

“Fine,” he spat, “but once I do this, I will not hear more on the issue, understood?”

His family’s halfhearted replies did little to convince him, but the arrival of his father cut off any further attempts to make them promise their silence.

The older man looked around the table and almost seemed like he was going to ask about the obvious tension, but then he shook his head as if deciding it wasn’t worth it. “Damian, report.”

“It was a quiet night, aside from running into Multimouse, or Hund, as she was calling herself this time. You all heard a majority of the interaction—” his siblings snickered, “—but I will fill in the gaps,” he continued, shooting a glare around the table.

“The style of her suit was similar to that of the mouse one, just with different coloring. Like that of a German Shepherd, as she said. She had escrima sticks strapped to her back, though I didn’t see her use them. There was no sign of the strange jump rope-slash-whip from last week.”

“Was there anything that pointed toward her background?” Bruce asked.

Damian thought about it for a moment. “She scaled the fire escape with ease when she left, though any of us could do that. So if she’s human, as she claims, then she’s likely at least had training, if not actual experience.” The others nodded in agreement.

“What stood out the most to me was her comment about her suits,” Dick mused. “Why would she need more than one kind? It’s already a pain in the ass for us to get backups of our suits, why go through the extra trouble of making them different?”

“And the different weapons too. If she has access to both the sticks and the whip, why only use one at a time?” Barbara added.

“Maybe they’re connected to the suits somehow? Baby bird, you said she wore the whip as a tail, right?” Jason turned to him.

“Correct,” Damian confirmed.

“And the sticks could be a nod to how dogs play fetch,” his brother continued.

“But why compromise your safety just to commit that hard to a theme?” Stephanie asked.

Everyone, including Bruce, raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, well obviously I wasn’t including the rogues in that,” she grumbled. “Multimouse or Hund or whatever seems too smart and in touch with reality to act like them. There has to be another reason.”

“She doesn’t have access to both at the same time,” Cass suggested.

“So she gets the outfits and weapons from someone else?” Tim pondered the idea. “That’s possible, but then what’s _their_ motivation? We’re right back at square one, except now we know even _less_ about the person making the decisions.”

“There is one more thing that’s bothering me,” Damian interjected. “Unlike all the other jokes she made, when she used ‘dogs and loyalty’ as her reason for helping me, she seemed embarrassed. Almost as if there was some truth to it.”

“What are you saying?” Jason asked.

He frowned. “I know it sounds far-fetched, but maybe the suits somehow influence her actions.”

“Through, what, magic?” Dick deadpanned. “You’re saying magical suits are involved.”

Damian shrugged. “We did already consider the possibility of some kind of magic being involved. And we’ve seen weirder.”

Stephanie dropped her head into her hands and let out a groan. “This is getting more complicated by the minute!”

“How should we proceed, Bruce?” At Barbara’s question, they turned to the patriarch who, Damian realized, hadn’t said a word this whole time.

He looked back at them for a moment, and…was that a hint of _pride_ Damian saw?

“You all have developed some good working theories. Barbara, what’s the status of your search?”

“Still looking for mentions of Multimouse. No hits so far, but I’ll add ‘Hund’ as well.”

“Then unfortunately, all we can do is wait until another sighting to gather more information. All of us need to remain alert and remember our training in _subtle_ ways to glean knowledge from others,” he ordered pointedly.

Jason rolled his eyes. “The guy’s out of the hospital now, _and_ we got what we needed, didn’t we?”

Bruce continued as if not interrupted. “Damian, it’s likely that you will be the one to run into her again, and it sounds like you’re already building rapport. Use that to your advantage.”

“Yeah, baby bird, make sure your social skills are on par,” Tim smirked. Damian just glared back.

Bruce sighed. “We should also try to find the connection between the animals her suits are based on, if one exists. It could give us further insight into the girl or any potential partner.”

Once everyone nodded in acknowledge, he stood. The others followed, before Cass’ voice made them pause.

“What’ll we call her?”

They all looked at Cass thoughtfully for a moment, and then Damian spoke up.

“Menagerie. She claims to have a whole collection of animal-themed suits; it’s as if she is her own menagerie.”

* * *

The next morning, Damian sat in his Intro to Business class, halfway paying attention to his professor’s explanation of their semester-long project on a company of their choosing. He was running through a mental list of all the heroes and villains he’d met since moving to Gotham, as well as everyone he’d encountered during his time in the League. So far, he couldn’t recall anyone who mentioned or had potentially-magical suits like Menagerie’s.

As he was doing this, he vaguely registered the professor reading off names from a list, but he didn’t fully snap out of it until he heard his own name. He glanced up and made eye contact with a student who had twisted around in her seat a few rows in front of him in their lecture hall. She smiled at him, then gathered her things and stood up.

He studied her as she made her way up the aisle and into his row. Black hair in a messy braid over her shoulder. High quality yet unique clothes. Blue eyes and a splash of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

She sat down next to him, placing her bookbag in the seat on her other side. Her rose gold necklace glinted at him as she turned to him with another bright smile.

“ _Salut_ , partner! I’m Marinette!” she said with a noticeable French accent. She stuck her hand out.

He grasped it with a firm shake. “Damian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here's](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batman_Rogues_Gallery#) a list of Batman's rogues gallery so you can go read about all the wonderfully dumb themes for yourself.
> 
> According to the [ML wiki](https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Dog_Miraculous), the dog miraculous is rose gold in camouflage mode when Marinette wears it. Since there's not a canon weapon associated with the miraculous yet, I picked escrima sticks for the exact reason Jason mentions.


	3. Capricornus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old foe becomes a threat again. Damian learns about what happened in Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you for all the love you've shown this story so far! I have most of the chapters planned, which should help me keep updates somewhat regular.
> 
> [Personality of the Goat](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/goat.htm): gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic, amicable, and brimming with a strong sense of kindheartedness and justice

Robin paced back and forth atop an office building in the heart of Gotham’s business district. He had rushed through his patrol route, but he knew he needed to cool off before heading back to the Cave. He was one joking insult from a family member away from exploding.

That train of thought led him back to why he was so angry in the first place. Without warning, he turned and punched the wall-like ledge enclosing the roof, letting loose a snarl as he did so.

“Oh goodness.”

At the sound of an unexpected voice, he spun, throwing a punch before he could register it. A small but strong hand wrapping around his fist halted his momentum.

“Whoa there, it’s just me.” Great. Menagerie. Exactly who he needed tonight. He had thought he’d have at least a week until he saw her again, but it had only been a couple days.

“And who are you this time?” he said, meaner than he intended.

She frowned, glancing away from him in thought. “Um…Capricornus?” she answered, dropping his hand.

He scanned her, noting the white bodysuit with black elbow-length gloves and knee-length boots. His eyes lingered on the pair of _janbiya_ sheathed at her hips, held there by a black belt; he hadn’t seen that particular weapon since he left the League. He looked up and saw the two hair clips styled after goat horns, before meeting her gaze through her black mask. He noted that her pupils seemed flatter than usual, possibly due to contacts.

“Doesn’t that constellation also have a fish tail?” he snarked. He knew he should be nicer, be “building rapport” like Batman said, but fury still ran hot in his veins.

He expected her to push back at him, the way she had done the last time they met, but instead she smiled and shrugged. “I know, not my best, but this is the first time I’ve worn the goat, uh, _suit_ , so I had to think fast.”

With that said, she plopped down on the ground, leaned against the ledge, and patted the spot next to her. To his own surprise, he sat down, extending his legs in front of him.

“You seem angry,” she commented.

He snorted. “Brilliant detective work.”

“Angry enough to take it out on others.”

Her tone was patient, but he still felt a pang of guilt. He looked down, but before he could fumble through an apology, she continued. “It’s only going to get worse if you don’t talk about it.”

“And what, I’m supposed to talk to you?” He rolled his eyes. “No offense, but I barely know you, let alone trust you.”

She hummed in agreement. “Fair enough. How about I tell you something about myself, and then you tell me what’s bothering you.”

Well. He couldn’t pass up this opportunity. “Agreed.”

Capricornus took a breath. “I used to fight someone who could manipulate people using their strong emotions. Because of this, I started repressing mine. However, shortly after this enemy showed up, an ongoing…situation began in my personal life, one that caused a lot of pain and sadness and anger. One day, I couldn’t keep it all down anymore, and I snapped.” Her voice took on a wistful tone. “He almost got me.”

Robin didn’t dare breathe and risk interrupting her. Suddenly, she met his gaze with a smile. “Luckily, I had friends who helped me and kept that from happening. That’s why I know how important it is not to bottle things up.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. How much do you know about Gotham’s villain?”

A thoughtful look crossed her face. “I did some research on them before I moved here, so I know the basics about a lot of the heavy hitters. Joker, Penguin, Bane, guys like that. The Sirens too, though they aren’t really villains anymore, I guess.”

He grimaced. “Did you read anything about a man called Hush?”

She gazed up at him. “No, I didn’t.”

A humorless laugh escaped him. “Figures. He prefers to remain in the shadows most times, manipulating others to do his dirty work. He’s been in Arkham since my team’s last run-in with him a few years ago. Except, he hasn’t been; he apparently escaped three months ago. We hadn’t been informed because someone had taken his place. Hush is a master surgeon who has altered his own appearance multiple times. He must’ve convinced—or, more likely—threatened someone to undergo surgery to look like him when he was still out. Which means he’s had this contingency in place this whole time.”

“Why would he wait so long to use it?” she asked.

“That’s what we want to know. He was probably planning something that needed time but he could do by proxy from his cell,” he hypothesized.

“Do you have any ideas about what it could be?”

“Fortunately, I do,” he said with a grim smile. “His plans always have one of two goals: get close to Bruce Wayne or destroy Bruce Wayne. Sometimes both.”

“Wow. That must be really hard for him and his family.” He glanced at her, trying to find any hidden meaning in her comment, but all he could hear was sympathy.

“Yeah. Must be,” he echoed.

Suddenly, she turned and held his gaze. “So which part of this is bothering you?”

Her words made his ire flare up again, burning inside him. “We should have known he escaped. We’re a team of _detectives_! How could we not know?”

A hand on his knee made him pause. “You have every right to be angry,” Capricornus started, “but don’t forget to be kind to yourself. You weren’t looking for this, and it sounds like even the people who worked with him every day didn’t notice the change.”

“You’re…right,” he said, shocking himself and everyone listening in on comms, he was sure. After that admission, though, he wanted to talk about anything else, so he cast around for a topic.

“You have gloves and boots this time.” He inwardly cringed at his statement of the obvious.

She just smiled warmly at him. “Some goats are particularly good climbers. The suit makes up for the fact that I’m, you know, human.” She held out a hand, palm up, so he could see the grips built in.

He gently grasped her wrist, pulling her hand closer. Running his fingers over her palm, he examined the foreign material. He was about to ask what it was when he heard a slight hitch in her breathing.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light blush peeking out from beneath her mask. Spurred on by the strange desire to see it spread, he repeated the motion a little slower and firmer this time. To his immense satisfaction, he saw her blush darken. “Hm. I, for one, am glad you’re human,” he murmured in a low tone.

“W-what—”

The sound of her voice snapped him out of whatever daze he was in that caused him to say _that_. He immediately dropped her hand and stood up, clearing his throat.

“I, um, assume you don’t have experience with _janbiya_ ,” he said awkwardly, gesturing to the curved daggers hanging from her belt.

She stood up too, giving him a look that made him feel like she was trying to decipher something about him that even he didn’t understand. “No, I don’t,” she finally responded.

“I can give you some pointers. If you would like,” he offered.

That got her to stop giving him the weird look. “Sure, I would really appreciate it.” She unsheathed the twin blades and handed one over to him.

* * *

When he walked into the Cave that night, he was met with cheers from his siblings. Someone—his money was on Tim—started playing “Smooth Operator” through their phone speaker.

“There he is! Man of the hour!” Barbara called.

“He did it! He flirted! Our baby bird is growing up,” Dick said, wiping away imaginary tears.

Jason leaned back in his chair with a smirk. “Although, ‘I’m glad you’re human’ might not be the _smoothest_ line out there.”

“She clearly didn’t mind,” Cass retorted.

Tim and Stephanie sang along to the song, pointing at Damian. Even Bruce wore an amused smile.

Damian just kept walking, not even slowing down as he passed his family. Fuck debriefing, he was not about to deal with _any_ of that.

As he walked to his room, he ran into Alfred doing…whatever Alfred did. He paused, turning to his pseudo-grandfather. “Alfred, how are we the only two sane ones in this house?”

“I have no idea what you mean, Master Damian,” Alfred said evenly. “I seem to recall you chasing Master Jason through the halls with your katana last week because he hid your favorite mask.”

Damian continued the path to his room, sulking the whole way.

* * *

The next day, his Intro to Business professor had given them time to work on their projects, so Damian found himself sitting in the back of the lecture hall with Marinette. He felt slightly better about the whole Hush situation after talking with Menagerie, but he still was having a hard time focusing on classes when he had as much a reason to be concerned as Damian Wayne as he did as Robin.

“I know your family owns a company, so I understand if you’d like to do the project on it. But if you’d rather do something different, I prepared a list of potential options. Some are tailored to my interests, but others are ones that seem to have unique business models. I don’t really know you, so I don’t know what your preferences are, but we could definitely look at some other companies too. What do you think, Damian? …Damian?”

A small hand waving in front of his face startled him, though the only outward indication was him snapping his gaze to meet Marinette’s. He mentally reviewed the words he’d only been halfway processing and realized that she was waiting for an answer.

“You choose, I’ll be fine with anything.” He was ready to go back to brooding when she spoke again.

“You look like something is on your mind. Would you like to talk about it?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why would you care?”

She tilted her head, a few strands of hair falling from where her bangs were clipped back with two tiny, rose-gold bows. “You need somebody to talk to; I can relate.” She hesitated slightly before continuing. “I don’t think this is well known outside of France, but in Paris we used to have a villain named Hawkmoth who preyed on difficult emotions like anger or embarrassment. Most of us learned to suppress these feelings, but it took a toll on our mental health. After experiencing that, I don’t like seeing people do it to themselves.”

It almost seemed like she was chastising him, but that was the least of his worries. “What did he do? How long was he active? Why was this not international news? And what happened to him?”

Her eyes widened, a bit overwhelmed. “The heroes stopped him, of course.” Seeing Damian open his mouth, she rushed to add, “I’ll answer your questions _after_ you tell me what’s bothering you. And we pick a company.”

He let out a breath that was a bit too forceful to be considered a sigh. The memory of Menagerie bartering information with him to get him to open up the previous night flashed through his mind. “If you insist. A man who holds a grudge against but is also obsessed with my father escaped from Arkham and hasn’t been seen since. He always comes after my family when he’s free, sooner or later, so I constantly feel like the other shoe is about to drop. There, are you happy?” He glared off to the side.

“Of course I’m not,” she said firmly enough that he turned to look back at her. “That sounds like a horrible situation. Do you have any kind of security? What about the city’s heroes?”

“Yes, we have protection; my father is always prepared for these kinds of circumstances. As for the _vigilantes_ , I’m sure they’re investigating it, but they have other responsibilities. You know, like protecting the _entire_ city and not just some rich family,” he huffed, trying to get her to back off.

“Well, I’m not sure I can provide much more than baked goods and a listening ear, but I’m here if you ever need help,” she replied, watching him with warmth in her eyes.

“Yes, sure,” he waved off, ignoring his surprise at her kind offer. He then leaned forward. “Now, about what happened in Paris—”

“Nope,” she cut him off, “we still have to pick a company for the project.”

He shut his eyes for a moment, trying to maintain his patience. “Fine. Show me the list.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? A hint of real plot? How exciting! Also, the scene of the Batfam might be my favorite thing I've ever written??
> 
> [Capricornus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capricornus) is the constellation that's usually depicted as a goat with, yes, a fish tail.
> 
> A [janbiya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janbiya) is a type of curved dagger that originated in Yemen. Did I learn about it because I searched for "curved daggers," thinking I could use the weapon as a nod to goat horns? Yes, yes I did.
> 
> Goats have [horizontal pupils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goat#Eyes). Weird! Also, why am I just now learning this?
> 
> [Hush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hush_\(character\)#Fictional_character_biography) is a villain who I have found interesting ever since reading the Batman: Hush arc in the comics. There's apparently a 2019 animated film adaptation with decent reviews, which I'll have to check out soon. Also, he's been on my mind since he showed up in this season of Batwoman. Plus, he's a villain that I haven't seen in any other Daminette story I've read. Due to the various DC crises and rebirths and whatnot, the character's origin has changed over the years; sometimes he hates Bruce, sometimes he's obsessed with him, like Damian says, so I just decided to include both motivations.
> 
> [Smooth Operator](https://youtu.be/4TYv2PhG89A?t=74) by Sade. I like to imagine that Tim had the song cued up to start at this point.
> 
> Rose gold must be Mari's color, because the camouflaged version of the goat miraculous is [rose gold bows](https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Goat_Miraculous) when worn by Marinette, according to the wiki.
> 
> Lastly, I read "some goats are particularly good climbers" in the rhythm of "Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders." Sound off in the comments if you know what I'm talking about!!


	4. Nympha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin confronts Menagerie and encounters some strange weapons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 300 kudos!! Thank y'all so much!
> 
> Marinette's hero name in this chapter was suggested by ada122448. [Nymphalidae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphalidae) are the largest family of butterflies. Thank you for the idea!

For the first time since they had met, Robin was seeking out Menagerie. He thought it would be easy to find her, considering how she seemed to pop up everywhere he was, but it had been nearly a week and a half since his conversation with Marinette, and he had not spotted her yet.

Hearing Marinette talk about Hawkmoth had raised some alarms in his head. What she said about the villain reminded him of the one Menagerie had described. There was evidence pointing toward them not being connected—primarily, the descriptions about their respective villains had some discrepancies, and Menagerie didn’t have a French accent—but he had learned that there was rarely such a thing as coincidence in his line of work. Plus, what little information he had been able to find on Hawkmoth had also given him the names of the heroes who fought him—Ladybug and Chat Noir, meaning all three were based on animals. That connection to Menagerie might be tenuous at best, but he was still going to investigate it like any other lead.

The sounds of fighting broke him out of his thoughts. He raced toward the noises until he reached the alley behind the Gotham National Bank. There was a deep wound carved in the face of the building. He immediately looked around for a weapon that could create that level of damage, but then he saw her.

Menagerie was battling half a dozen men. This was his first time seeing her fight someone other than him, and he found himself oddly breathless. She moved gracefully, dancing around the poor fools trying to land a hit on her. Her bodysuit tonight was lavender at her shoulders but darkened down the suit until it was a deep, almost-black purple at her feet. She held what looked like a cane that she was using to disarm her opponents. There was a butterfly brooch pinned over her heart, and her hair was loose, swinging behind her as she moved. What stood out most was the strange, two-part cape she was wearing.

He finally tore his gaze from her long enough to examine the men. As soon as he saw the umbrellas in their hands, he rolled his eyes. Penguin goons. The man refused to ditch the stupid things despite there being much better tech out there.

Except, as he thought this, one of the few men who still had a hold on his umbrella leveled it at Menagerie, and a deadly-looking laser shot out the tip. In that split second before it made contact, though one part of his brain was making note of _that_ particular upgrade, the rest of his mind was screaming her name. Then, she reacted.

She spun and ducked her head, causing her cape to spread out and fully cover her. When the beam hit the material without leaving so much as singe marks, he started wondering where exactly she got her suit. Two umbrella-less goons decided to take advantage of her distraction and rushed her from either side. Spotting them, she got a determined look on her face and leapt straight up into the air.

Robin felt his jaw dropping as her cape unfurled into two large butterfly wings. Thanks to them, she hovered in the air as the goons crashed into each other underneath her, falling to the ground. With her back to him, he could see how accurately detailed they were. Yeah, he was _definitely_ going to find out where she got her suit.

Suddenly, he saw that same goon from before once again point his umbrella at her from behind. The rational part of his brain _knew_ that she’d be okay, after seeing her deflect the laser once, but he still found himself leaping from the rooftop in a freefall. He landed in a crouch behind the man, his boots absorbing most of the shock from the impact. In a flash, he stuck out his leg, hooking it around the goon’s ankles, and pulled. The man came crashing down and before he could react, Robin yanked his arms behind his back and secured his wrists with a zip tie.

When he looked up, he saw Menagerie had landed back on the ground, her wings once more folded into an imitation of a cape. They worked quickly to secure the rest of the group, only leaving when they heard sirens nearing their location. Once they were observing the goons being taken into custody from the rooftop where Robin had stood before, she finally spoke to him.

“I could’ve handled it myself,” she said with a teasing smile.

He decided to ignore the jab. “I’ve been looking for you for over a week,” he said sternly.

Menagerie’s eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly in surprise. “I—I’m sorry, my civilian life got busy, and I haven’t actually been out since I last saw you. But why were you looking for me?”

He watched her carefully as he asked his question. “Are you from Paris?”

She furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head. “Why would you ask me that?”

“I was recently made aware of the former presence of a villain in Paris,” he responded, still studying her. “He went by the name Hawkmoth, and his powers sound similar to those of your former enemy. In addition, the heroes there had animal-themed personas.”

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting her reaction to be, but it certainly wasn’t a full-body laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said once she calmed down, “it’s just, there are so many heroes named after animals. I mean, look at your team! Also, you said his name was Hawkmoth? If I fought him, why would I style myself after the same animal as him?” She gestured to her suit, then continued with a bit of snark. “My name is so much better that his, anyway. Then again, the villains here have stupid names too, so maybe it’s a requirement. You can call me Nympha, by the way.”

Robin knew that if he wanted to build trust, he needed to take Nympha at her word. He also knew that she didn’t give him a straight answer. Deciding to report the theory to his family despite what she said, he moved on to another question that was on his mind. “What kind of tech is that?” he asked, motioning to her cape.

She glanced at it over her shoulder, then turned back to him. “Why are you asking?”

“It was able to deflect a laser that could _cut through stone_ —” he pointed to the side of the bank, “—without so much as a singe mark. Then, it was able to unfold into extremely accurate butterfly wings that you can use to _fly_.”

“Oh. When you say it like that, I see why you might be curious.” She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Even if I wanted to tell you, I couldn’t. Only the one who made the suit knows that.”

Finally, a lead! He took a step toward her. “So there’s someone else working with you?”

She hummed. “In a sense. They’ve had a rough go of it for the past few years, but I like to think that I’m helping them through it.”

He got a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach seeing the fond smile on her face as she talked about her partner, though he wasn’t sure why. He knew how important backup was, so he should be relieved that she had someone in her corner. Wait, why was he worried about her safety? She could clearly take care of herself, and they weren’t even teammates.

His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by Nympha. “Well, it’s getting late, so I should probably head home.”

She turned to go, but Robin stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I have one more question.”

When she was facing him again, he could see amusement in her expression. “Here I thought we were becoming friends, but you seem only interested in my information,” she teased.

He scowled. “We are not _friends_. You refuse to work with my team, and I barely know anything about you.”

She gave him an appraising look. “You’re right. Maybe we should change that. But not tonight.” She cut off his protest by asking, “What’s your question?”

“I’ve never seen Penguin umbrellas with that much firepower,” he explained. “What can you tell me about them? You got a closer look than I did.”

She glanced upwards thoughtfully, concentration clear on her face. “They seemed new. I would imagine that umbrellas used multiple times would show signs of wear, especially on the handle, but these looked fresh. As you can tell by the wall of the bank, the lasers were extremely precise but also powerful. That’s about all I know.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” Hearing a voice in his ear, he continued, “I must return to our base.”

Nympha grinned. “You know, I think I’ll stay out here a little longer. Stretch my wings.” As soon as she said that, the wings unfurled and lifted her off the rooftop. “Until next time, little bird,” she said with a wink, taking off into the night.

Robin watched in what was absolutely not awe. Still, it took him a minute to turn away and head back to the Cave.

* * *

Normally, Damian hated the days when he was last to report about patrol. He preferred to just say his piece and be done with it. Tonight, however, he was glad because it gave him more time to process his conversation with Menagerie. It sounded like everyone had a pretty busy night, though just with low-level crooks, so he knew that he would need to recap most of his interaction.

“Damian.” At the sound of his father’s voice, he sat up a bit straighter and gave him a nod. Looking around the table at the rest of his family, he spoke.

“Earlier tonight, I found Menagerie, though she was calling herself ‘Nympha,’ and—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Jason interrupted. He should’ve expected this. “ _You_ were chasing _her_? She’s already got you whipped!”

“That is not the case, and if you had let me speak you would know that,” Damian hissed back. “I was looking for her because I received intel from another source that could possibly link her to Paris.”

Bruce frowned. “We weren’t aware of a superhero presence in Paris.”

Damian nodded again. “It seems as though the information has been suppressed by someone. A preliminary search only turned up the names of the heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, as well as that of the villain they were fighting, Hawkmoth. Even using the Batcomputer, I couldn’t find anything more.”

“That seems like significantly more censorship than a democratic government could get away with, or even have the capacity to do,” Tim mused. Then he let out a betrayed gasp. “Is this why you kicked me off the computer last week?”

Damian rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t have to kick you off if you took breaks like a normal human.”

Stephanie interjected before the interaction could escalate. “If that’s the only intel you could find, then how did you connect Menagerie? I mean, they all have animal themes, but so do lots of people in our line of work, including us.”

“That’s what she said as well. However, my source is from Paris and provided a description of Hawkmoth similar enough to what Menagerie has said about her old villain that it raised some flags.”

“What did they say?” Barbara looked up from her laptop, ready to transcribe the descriptions.

“Menagerie said that her nemesis could manipulate people through their strong emotions. My source said Hawkmoth ‘preyed on difficult emotions,’ such as anger or embarrassment. Both mentioned learning to suppress their feelings.”

“That does sound more promising,” Dick agreed, “but it still doesn’t prove a connection.”

“Which is why I was looking for— _not chasing_ —Menagerie. I asked her directly if she was from Paris, explaining what I had learned. She pointed out that the animal-theme connection was tenuous and that it would be strange for her to use the same inspiration as her nemesis. Yet she never outright denied my claim. Therefore, I believe it would be prudent to continue investigating the theory,” Damian concluded.

“My algorithm has finished its search of the American section of the internet, with no luck,” Barbara chimed in. “I can have it focus on France next, see if it can find anything you missed.”

“Thank you, Barbara.” Bruce inclined his head toward her, then turned back to Damian. “Do you think you can get anymore information out of your source?”

“Yes,” he said firmly, “she’s fairly talkative.”

“‘She’?” Cass echoed with a predatory smirk. “Who is ‘she’?”

Damian felt everyone’s eyes on him as he willed down a sudden blush. “She is merely my assigned partner for a class project.”

“And you’re sure she’s trustworthy?” Bruce asked.

“Yes,” he repeated. “She has nothing to gain from lying to me about this.”

“Is she cute?”

Damian pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Grayson, must you ask that about every girl I meet?”

“It’s my duty as oldest brother!” Dick exclaimed with an obnoxious grin. “I can ask it about every boy and nonbinary person you meet too, but I didn’t think you swung that way.”

“Someone’s avoiding the question,” Stephanie singsonged.

Damian tried to mask his embarrassment by rolling his eyes. “If you’re done, I’d like to continue my report.”

Jason opened his mouth, but Bruce beat him to it. “Go ahead.”

“I was able to confirm the presence of a partner of some sort.” The words made the teasing light leave his siblings’ eyes, and they all leaned forward as they listened intently.

“Her suit today included two large, detailed butterfly wings that gave her the ability to fly,” he continued. “When they were not in use, they draped over her back like a cape, which could protect her from weapons without so much as a scratch.”

“Are you sure she could fly, or did she glide like I can with my suit?” Tim asked.

Damian shook his head. “No, at the end of our conversation she literally flew off into the night.”

“Damn,” Jason muttered. “And the partner?”

“Right.” Damian refocused. “I asked about the tech used in her wings, and she said only the person who made the suit knew what it was. When I asked if they were working with her, she said ‘in a sense.’”

“So she’s still being evasive.” Bruce turned to him with a hint of pride in his eyes. “Good work, Damian. Keep meeting with her, see if you can convince her to talk with us.”

Damian shifted in his seat. “There’s more. Not about Menagerie,” he added at the too-smug expressions on his siblings’ faces.

“When I first found Menagerie, she was fighting six Penguin goons behind the Gotham National Bank. They had new umbrellas outfitted with powerful yet precise lasers. I took pictures of the damage they did to the wall and sent them to Gordon.”

With a few clicks of her keyboard, Barbara had the images pulled up on the monitor mounted on the wall behind her head. “Like baby bird said, this is something we haven’t seen before from Penguin. As we know, him using new weapons usually comes hand-in-hand with reports of stolen tech or scientists being kidnapped or paid off; however, I haven’t found anything like that in recent weeks.”

Bruce propped his elbows up of the table, laced his fingers together, and rested his mouth against his hands in one of his patented thinking poses. After a few moments, of this, he straightened back up. “Barbara, Tim, keep digging to see if you can find more information on Penguin’s activities. I will pay a visit to the GCPD’s evidence room. Otherwise, we will continue patrols as usual. Damian, as I said, keep making contact with Menagerie. It seems like she’s on our side, but there is still too much unknown about her.”

His family quickly dispersed, leaving Damian to wonder about his next meeting with the elusive hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the second half of the chapter didn't feel too derivative of the first half. I feel like it's important to see how Damian and his family communicate information to understand their dynamics both as a family and a team.
> 
> [Gotham National Bank](https://dcau.fandom.com/wiki/Gotham_National_Bank) is from the animated Batman show.
> 
> [Penguin's umbrellas](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Penguin%27s_Umbrella) are so dumb and I love them.
> 
> More on the [Batcomputer](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Batcomputer).
> 
> More on Tim's [glider cape](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Red_Robin%27s_Glider_Cape).


	5. Wallonia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian learns something new about Marinette. Robin learns many new things about Menagerie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading, but extra thanks to those of y'all leaving comments! I really appreciate all the feedback!
> 
> [Personality of the Rooster](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/rooster.htm): observant, hardworking, resourceful, courageous, talented, and very confident in themselves

Damian saw Marinette the second she walked into the lecture hall and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. She was dragging her feet, clutching a coffee cup in each hand, and her eyes, which were barely cracked open, were framed by dark circles underneath. In short, she looked like Tim on one of his bad days.

When she walked past her usual row, he assumed her sleep-deprived brain was failing her. When she turned down _his_ row, his second eyebrow joined the first. He maintained the expression as she slumped down in the chair next to him, taking a long draw of the coffee in her right hand.

“ _What_ are you doing?” He expected the sound of his voice to shock her, but she didn’t even flinch.

Instead, she groaned in the back of her throat. “I don’t have the energy to move if he gives us time to work on our project.”

Rather than insisting that she move to a seat that’s _not next to him_ , Damian found himself reaching across her to grab the moveable desk attached to the chair and pulling it up and over her lap. He intended for her to set her drinks down; instead, she leaned forward and dropped her head onto it with a _thud_ that had people in the rows in front of them turning with alarm on their faces.

“ _Je vais bien_ ,” she mumbled.

He eyed her for a moment or two, then cleared his throat. “Late night?”

Marinette made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a whimper. “More like an all-night.”

He was confused for a second before discerning what she meant. “You pulled an all-nighter?”

“Yes, that, slang is so confusing.” Her words were muffled by the desk. “I thought this might help me stay awake, but it’s not working.”

Letting go of her coffee, she waved her left hand, and a glint of something silver caught his eye. When she grasped the cup again, he could see a silver thumb ring with two bands connected by a thin rod. There was a heart at each point the bands connected to the rod.

“Why would a ring keep you awake?” he questioned, slightly more concerned about her mental state.

_That_ got her to sit up, although her eyes were still half-closed. “I, uh, think I’m reaching the delusional stage of sleep deprivation,” she said with a nervous laugh, taking a sip of one of her drinks.

He could tell she was lying, but the professor decided to make his entrance, and Damian’s attention was pulled away.

About ten minutes later, a girl in one of the first few rows asked a question, and he took the opportunity to look over at his uninvited seat buddy. Marinette was still actually sitting up, though her head was resting on the back of the chair. And her eyes were still shut.

“Shouldn’t you be paying attention?” he muttered. Sure, _he_ didn’t find the class particularly challenging and was only present due to the professor’s strict attendance policy, but his upbringing sometimes made it difficult to gauge how much others would struggle in academic settings. She cracked open an eye, and he couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or not at her lack of reaction.

“I’ve been running my own business since I was, like, fifteen,” she muttered back. “There’s probably not much this guy could teach me that I haven’t already learned from experience.” With that said, she closed her eye again, as if the conversation was going to end _there_.

“You’ve been running a business,” he repeated, his tone a mix of skeptical and impressed.

Marinette’s eyes flew open. “ _Merde_ , I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone about that!”

Damian shot a glance to the front of the room and, seeing that the professor was still occupied, decided to keep digging. “And why is that?”

She grimaced and took another swig of coffee. “I had some issues with some of my classmates in _collège_ and _lycée_. Ultimately I learned that it was better to keep work and play separate.” An embarrassed flush rose on her cheeks. “Plus, talking about it makes me feel like I’m bragging, and I don’t want to be that person.”

He was trying to figure out which statement from the past few minutes he wanted to unpack first when he caught another glance of her. Her head was leaned against the chair again and her eyes had remained closed, the dark circles seeming even deeper when contrasted by her pale skin instead of her brilliant blue eyes. All of a sudden, he couldn’t bring himself to keep pushing her.

Still, being who he was, he had to get the last word. “Don’t come to me when you need today’s notes,” he grumbled. The only indication that Marinette heard him was the slight quirk of her lips.

* * *

That evening, someone unexpectedly caught up to Robin on his patrol. One moment, he was leaping between buildings alone; the next, he could sense another presence moving parallel to him. Much to his embarrassment, when he glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, he nearly tripped.

Menagerie’s suit tonight was a deep maroon with mustard yellow accents in the form of her mask, belt, gloves, and boots. She was wearing a cape again, but this one was made of iridescent feathers that shone red and yellow. Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail, with a bump on top mimicking a rooster’s comb.

What startled him wasn’t her sudden appearance. _Batman_ was his father—he was used to that. No, it was that she was wearing _his_ colors. Well, she didn’t have any green or black, but still. It was almost like they were coordinated. If someone saw them, they might even think the pair were _partners_.

Despite catching himself and coming to a halt, his stomach flipped at that thought. He quickly shoved it away as she landed next to him.

“Are you okay?” He might’ve been convinced by her concerned tone if he couldn’t see the amusement dancing in her eyes. He glared back and ignored the question.

“What am I supposed to call you tonight?” he said crossly.

“Wallonia,” she replied, still grinning.

He blinked. “Like the region in Belgium?”

Her face lit up. “Yes, have you been? I went years ago on a vacation, and I absolutely loved it! The second I saw this suit it reminded me of their flag, you know, the red rooster on the yellow background?”

He nodded stiffly. “Yes, I know. I went there once on…‘business.’”

She looked confused for a moment, but then recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, you mean _this_ kind of ‘business.’ I don’t remember the Justice League ever being in Belgium. When was this?”

“It was before I came to Gotham and joined Batman’s team.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her this when she always declined to answer his questions; maybe part of him was hoping she’d reciprocate his openness.

She inhaled sharply. “What? But you were so young when you became Robin!”

He narrowed his eyes at her, suspicion rolling off him in waves. Wallonia’s mildly horrified look became sheepish. “Okay, so I _might_ have done some research on you…and your entire team,” she said with a weak smile.

Crossing his arms, he let out a scoff. “And you still refuse to answer a single question about yourself. How hypocritical.”

“Hey!” She stormed up to him. “I have reasons for protecting my identities, civilian and hero.” Before he could snap back, he saw her visibly deflate. “But you’re right. It isn’t fair for me to know so much more about you than you do about me.”

“So you’re going to answer my questions?” he said, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“Only if they don’t compromise me,” she replied, holding up a finger. “But you did point out last week that we don’t know much about each other, and I’d like to change that.”

With that said, she brushed past him. He turned to see her settling down on the ledge of the building. She glanced back at him with a small smile and gestured to the space next to her. As he joined her, he tried to decide what to ask her first, not knowing how long she would be in the mood to share. Finally, he chose to toss her an easy one first to see how she would react. Plus, he was curious.

“Did this suit not come with a weapon?”

Her mouth dropped open, and he felt a sense of satisfaction at the sign that she was caught off-guard. Then, it twisted into a grin. She held out her arm, palm facing up, but made no other movement. As he watched, a previously invisible slit on the inner wrist of her glove opened and a curved blade shot out. She wrapped her fingers around the handle, then flipped it so the blade pointed downward from the bottom of her fist and arced forward. Her pointer finger was hooked through the finger ring.

“A _karambit_ ,” he noted. Based on placement and shape, he could only assume it was meant to mimic a rooster spur. “Clever.”

“Thanks!” she chirped, then repeated the process with her other arm so that in the blink of an eye, she held two blades. “Did you know women use to tie these in their hair and use them for self-defense?”

“I did not,” he answered, watching intently as she placed the handles of each blade against her wrists and they retracted back into her gloves. His attention was only pulled away by the sound of her voice.

“Since I basically told you I know how old you were when you became Robin, I guess I can return the favor. I was thirteen.”

“What?” His brows knit. “Were you alone?”

“No,” she said, smiling brighter. “I had a partner. At first it was just the two of us, but eventually we brought more people into the fold.”

“Was your partner your mentor, then?”

She laughed. “No, no, we were the same age. And started at the same time.”

“Then who trained you?” he pressed, growing increasingly troubled the more she shared.

“We did have someone, briefly,” she said, a look of intense sorrow coming over her face, “but then there was an…accident, and he couldn’t help us anymore.”

Robin felt a pang in his chest at her expression, which warred with the anger he felt at her words. “So it was just the two of you, barely teenagers and hardly any training?”

She gave him a commiserating look. “Trust me, I know. We were a hot mess for a while, but eventually we figured it out. Forming the team really helped.”

“Why did you even take on the role in the first place?” To him, it sounded like the responsibility was forced on her.

“You know the person I mentioned last time? My enemy? Well, he showed up and regular law enforcement wasn’t equipped to handle it, so our mentor chose us,” she explained with a shrug.

“I don’t see how two kids who don’t know what they’re doing would be more effective, but I suppose that’s one of the things you’re not going to tell me,” he stated with a deadpanned look.

She smirked. “I knew there was a reason they call you ‘Boy Wonder!’”

Before he could stop her, her hand shot up and ruffled his hair. He pushed her away, scowling, and tried his best to fix it, which she observed while snickering to herself. When her laughter had died down, she reached for him again, slowly this time. Still, one of his hands left his hair and wrapped around her wrist, halting her movement.

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Relax, I’m just going to help.”

He let go but eyed her warily. She kept true to her word, however, and just ran her hand through his hair a few times, coaxing the strands to lie down again. On the last brush of her fingers, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

Her eyes, which had been focused on his hair, drifted down to meet his own. As she slowly withdrew her arm back to her side, he felt a weird sort of tension build between them. Even so, he found that he couldn’t look away.

Eventually, she tore her gaze from his and cleared her throat. “A-anyway, it’s your turn now.”

“What?” Still watching her, he tried to remember what they had been talking about. And was his voice a little deeper than usual?

“How long have you been involved in this world?” she asked, gesturing to their suits.

“Since birth.” He frowned down at his fists, which were balled up in his lap. For some reason, he hated the idea of telling her who he was before Robin. He tried to think of a way to derail this conversation, but she beat him to it.

“Okay,” she said, something in her expression telling him that she had noticed his discomfort. “Who is your favorite member of you team?”

He jerked his head up, surprised by the question. Her teasing smirk matched her words, but it was the sympathy in her eyes that stood out to him. Usually, he hated it when that emotion was directed at him, but tonight it meant that she understood he wasn’t ready to share, and she wasn’t going to push his boundaries. Slowly, a matching smirk grew on his face.

“That’s a cruel question; most of the team is on comms right now,” he said, tapping the device in his ear. “That being said, Orphan. She’s the quietest.”

Wallonia’s delighted laughter was well worth the eruption of dismayed voices in his ear, which only proved his point. She raised a hand to her mouth, muffling her giggles, but he could still see them in her shaking shoulders and the crinkles at the corners of her eyes.

“Can your team hear me?” she asked once she had calmed down. Before he could answer, she said, in a slightly louder voice, “Hi Batfam!”

Robin winced at the chorus of returned greetings and shot her a dark look. “Really? That stupid fanboy name?”

“Well I think it’s cute, so I’m sticking with it,” she replied, eyes gleaming. “Now tell me what they said!”

He sighed. “They said hello.”

_“Ask your girlfriend when we get to meet her!”_

He sighed more heavily. “And Red Hood wants to know when they get to meet you.”

A bit of the annoyance caused by his brother’s comment faded when she laughed again. “We’ll just have to see.”

When his siblings started whining and complaining in response to her statement, he pressed the button to turn off his comm while muttering, “Children, all of them.” His eyes landed on Wallonia, who had a fond smile on her face. “What?” he growled.

“It seems like you are all pretty close.” She glanced down, smile turning wistful. “Reminds me of my team. Former team, I guess.”

“What happened to them?” he asked, unsure if this would be an off-limits topic.

She leaned back on her hands and tilted her face up, looking at the few visible stars hanging over Gotham. “We went our separate ways. I talk to them all the time, but I’m the only one still in this ‘business.’”

He had a sudden flashback to the empathy lessons Barbara had given him shortly after he became Robin. He imagined how he would feel if his family or the Titans retired and grimaced. “That sounds lonely.”

It could’ve been a trick of the light, but her eyes seemed a little brighter than they were a moment ago. “Yeah, it can be,” she agreed. Then she leaned toward him, usual grin back in place. “But that’s why I have you!”

“Hm.” He turned his head away but was unable to smother his satisfied grin or the slight heat on his cheeks. “And the person who makes your suits.”

“Uh, right! Them too!” He made eye contact again and noticed that her eyes were slightly wider and her smile was a bit forced. He didn’t have time to contemplate possible reasons why because she blurted out, “Do you have any pets?”

He stared at her. “What?”

“We’re getting to know each other!” she exclaimed, her speech somewhat rushed. “You don’t have to say what they are, just yes or no.”

He considered her for another moment before giving in. “Yes, I do. I’m quite fond of animals.”

She leaned toward him again, a little closer this time, with that same smirk from earlier on her face. “Ah, _that’s_ why you like me so much.”

He spluttered, the heat on his cheeks increasing significantly, before settling on, “That is utterly ridiculous!”

She gaped at him for a beat, then burst out laughing. The force of it nearly caused her to tip over, but she latched onto his arm and steadied herself by resting her forehead on his shoulder. Now, not only could he hear her amusement, but he could also feel it through the force of her shaking.

Scowling, partially at her and partially at his blush that _would not die down_ , he snapped, “What’s so funny?”

Her giggles fading, she wiped tears from her eyes. “You reminded me of one of my best friends. You basically said her catchphrase.” Her eyes glazed over, as if imagining something. “Now I’m trying to picture the two of you meeting. You would either take over the world or kill each other.”

Her friend sounded interesting, at least. “What’s she like?”

Pulled from her musings, she said, “What?”

He shrugged with feigned nonchalance. “I thought we were getting to know each other. You can learn a lot about someone through their relationships.”

One of the most joyful smiles he had ever seen bloomed on her face, and he felt a sense of pride knowing that he caused it. They stayed out much later than he anticipated, trading stories and facts that wouldn’t compromise their identities. They only separated when Oracle called him back to the Cave.

He was pleased to note that Wallonia held onto his arm the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk why, but I had a harder time than usual writing the conversation between Menagerie and Robin. Let me know what you think!
> 
> So it turns out the [rooster miraculous](https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Rooster_Miraculous) isn't rose gold when Marinette wears it??? Absurd.
> 
> I imagine that Wallonia's bump is somewhere between Hilary Duff's and Patina Miller's in [these](https://www.designtrends.com/fashion/hairstyles/bump.html) pictures.
> 
> A rooster's [comb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooster) is the read part on top of their head. I briefly considered giving Wallonia a mohawk but it didn't feel right. Maybe I'm just not punk enough, who knows.
> 
> Just so y'all know, I imagine Robin's costume in this story to be pretty similar to [this](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/260153315960061830/visual-search/?x=16&y=10&w=507&h=328) picture, even though he's older.
> 
> Here's the wikipedia for [Wallonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallonia#Symbols). I had a hard time finding something that I thought would be a good name, which is why this is so obscure lol.
> 
> A [karambit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karambit) is an Indonesian knife and seems really really cool.
> 
> As the title of the article says, all you need to know about [rooster spurs](https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/rooster-spurs/#:~:text=A%20rooster%20spur%20is%20a,of%20a%20beak\)%20called%20keratin.).
> 
> So this version of the Batfamily (yes, I love the name, but I feel like Damian would hate it) is a blend of ones from the comics. I decided to include the members I'm most familiar with, even though right now in canon there are many more. I went with some character's currentcanon identities in the comics, like [Orphan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra_Cain#DC_Rebirth) for Cassandra Cain, but I changed others. For example, I made Barbara as Oracle in this story instead of Batgirl. While I love her as both, I just feel like Oracle is such an important character.


	6. Apoidea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin fights Scarecrow. Marinette encounters her first Gotham villain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! And this one is a bit longer! The chapters will probably continue to increase in length as the action starts to pick up, so they might take more time to write, but I'll try to stick to a fairly regular update schedule.
> 
> IMPORTANT: In chapter 3, I referenced a song by Trey Songz. I learned about his sexual assault allegations this past week, which are horrifying. I decided to edit the chapter and replace the song with "Smooth Operator" by the infinitely superior Sade. I don't want to amplify the voice of an abuser in any way, however small, so I apologize for using his song. Remember to always support survivors!

Another uneventful class had passed, and Damian and Marinette were packing up their things. Since she sat next to him the week before, it had apparently become her new spot. A few peers that Damian vaguely recognized from his time at Gotham Academy had shot her looks each time she took her seat, but after seeing that she didn’t run away crying from him they seemed to relax.

“Hey, Damian?” He looked up from where he was zipping his backpack shut to see Marinette watching him. When he didn’t say anything, she continued. “Some friends and I are going out tomorrow night for something called ‘Thirsty Thursday.’” The confusion on her face mirrored his own feelings.

“I don’t know what that means,” he replied. He distantly recalled one of his brothers saying it once when he was younger—Tim, maybe—but refusing to explain it.

“Yeah, me neither.” She frowned for a second, but then her mouth shifted to a bright smile. “Anyway, I was wondering if you’d like to join us!”

Typically, he would say “No” and leave it at that, but something compelled him to be a little nicer to her. “I can’t, I have plans,” he said instead. It wasn’t even a lie; he was scheduled for patrol.

“That’s okay, maybe next time,” she said, smile not faltering.

“Maybe,” he echoed, unwilling to commit to anything. With that, she turned and left, leaving him to puzzle over why she had even asked _him_ in the first place.

* * *

The next night, Robin was on his assigned route when Oracle got an alert.

“Scarecrow sighting on Lee Avenue,” she stated over the sounds of typing on her keyboard. “Hacking street cams now. Anyone close?”

“Three minutes out,” he said, whipping sharply to his left and heading to the location. Lee Avenue was a street near Gotham University that was lined with popular bars and clubs.

“Same,” he heard Red Robin say over comms.

“No can do,” Red Hood muttered, voice low. “In the middle of a drug bust.”

“I’m a little farther out, but I’ll book it over there,” Spoiler answered.

“Robin, Red Robin, focus on clearing civilians first,” Batman commanded. “Spoiler and I will provide backup when we arrive.”

When he arrived at Lee Avenue, he didn’t have to wait for Oracle to confirm Scarecrow’s location—people were streaming out of Sinclair, a club that primarily catered to the nearby university students. They were clearly scared, but from his position on the rooftops it was hard to tell if any of it was induced by fear toxin. He heard Red Robin land next to him on the building across t from the club.

“Go in and see if anyone is being held by Scarecrow or his goons. I’ll start corralling people out here until the response team arrives with the antidote.” Robin nodded, grateful that Red was taking charge of the crowd. Dealing with civilians was not his favorite part of the job. The two men pulled out their portable gas masks, fixed them in place, and leapt into the fray.

Immediately, he could tell that the people outside had received at least a mild dose of the toxin. He ignored the instructions Red was shouting to the civilians in favor of barreling toward the door. Just as he reached it, he heard someone shout “Robin!”

He paused and looked to his left, where the shout had come from. He was slightly shocked by what he saw: Marinette was weaving through the crowd, dodging everyone rushing around her. Sooner than he had expected, she was next to him.

“I counted fifteen men, plus Scarecrow. They set off what looked like smoke bombs all around the main floor, except they were filled with the toxin.” He could tell by the dilation of her pupils that she was fighting off the effects of it. “Scarecrow went upstairs. VIP area. Not sure what his plan is.” Her breathing was getting heavier by the second.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to ground her for a moment. “Go find Red Robin. The crisis response team should be here soon with the antidote.” She nodded but made no attempt to move, eyes glazing over. He gave her a gentle shove in the right direction, and then barged into the club.

Instantly, three men were on him. He ducked and weaved, then returned their punches with much more success. Soon enough they were lying unconscious, and he was melting into the shadows so he could assess the situation unnoticed. There were another three men guarding the emergency exit at the back of the club. The remaining nine men were split evenly between three groups of five hostages each. Moving silently towards the closest group, he could see two of the men had guns and were focused on containing the hostages, who are already screaming and crying and pulling at their bound wrists. The third man was writing in a notebook, but in the dim lighting of the club, he couldn't make out what it said.

Creeping closer, Robin made his move. He tossed a birdarang to the side of the room, where it made a _clang_ as it struck metal. All three men turned in that direction. In the blink of an eye, Robin leapt forward and struck the back of the neck of one of the armed goons, knocking him out. He dragged the man into the shadows just as the other two turned back.

“Hey,” the second gun-wielding man cried, “Larry, where’d ya g—”

He was cut off by thin cord wrapping around his waist and yanking him straight into Robin's fist. Unconscious and sporting a broken nose, he joined the first man on the ground.

The notetaker turned at the sound of his colleague’s voice and now looked visibly frightened by the absence of the other two. He started spinning around violently trying to find their attacker, which provided more than enough distraction for Robin to take him out. He picked up the notebook that the man had dropped when he was knocked unconscious and pocketed it to be examined later.

The first group taken care of, he surveyed the club again. Luckily, the remaining goons didn't seem to notice their missing compatriots, which meant he still had the element of surprise. He was about to move to the next group when he heard Batman's gruff voice in his ear.

“Spoiler and I are on location. What's the situation inside?”

“Three men at the back entrance, six more guarding two groups of hostages. Already dealt with the men at the front door and those guarding another group. Fifteen hostages total, all will need the antidote. A civilian spotted Scarecrow, but I haven't laid eyes on him,” he reported, voice low.

“Alright. Spoiler, you take the front entrance, I'll handle the back. Incapacitate first, then start administering your supply of the antidote,” Batman ordered.

“Roger that,” Spoiler replied.

“Robin, find Scarecrow.”

He grunted an affirmative, then headed for the stairs that led to the VIP area. Even after all these years, he still got a funny feeling in his chest when his father trusted him enough to handle the bad guys on his own without using excessive brutality. Deep down, the insecure part of himself that he preferred to ignore wondered when he would finally believe he had earned that trust.

Shaking off those thoughts, he crept up the stairs. As he reached the landing, he heard the unmistakable sound of bodies dropping. This had the added bonus of making his hunt for Scarecrow easier, as a distressed voice was soon added to the mix.

“Shit, the Bats are here. I wasn't able to finish my observations! Shit, shit, gotta get out. Where's the damn exit?”

“Boo.”

Letting out a screech, Scarecrow whirled around to face Robin, who couldn’t suppress his smirk at the reaction. It faded when he saw the syringe in the villain’s hand.

“Not another step, or you’ll get to _personally_ experience my latest batch of fear toxin!” Scarecrow cried. “That’s right! This one is more potent than ever! So you better let me walk out of here or—”

Suddenly, he froze, cutting off his speech.

“I’ve been waiting to give him a taste of his own medicine.”

The speaker stepped up next to the frozen villain, rolling her eyes. “And why do they all talk like that, no matter where they're from? It's like they took a class or something.”

Of course she was here. Menagerie had on a black bodysuit with yellow accents tonight. Horizontal yellow stripes ringed her calves and forearms, and three more stripes circled her waist. Her black hair now had yellow stripes as well—maybe extensions, he wondered absently. Her bangs were pinned back with a hair comb decorated with a brightly colored bee. Then he saw the top in her hand with an _extremely_ sharp point and registered her words.

“Is that—” he started to ask, eyes widening.

“What? Oh! No, no,” she rushed to explain, “this is just a paralytic. I would never use fear toxin, even on _him_.” She poked the statue-like man in the arm as she said this. “You should probably restrain him before it wears off, though.”

As he moved to do so, he heard the crackle of his comm coming to life. “Scarecrow’s men have been restrained and the antidotes are being administered to the hostages inside the club,” Batman stated.

“Although it seems like it’s taking longer than usual to take effect,” Spoiler added.

“Agreed,” Red Robin chimed in. “The response team has arrived and delivered the antidote to the people outside, but they’re still not back to normal.”

“Scarecrow said this was a new, more potent version,” Robin informed them. He secured the restraints and plucked the syringe from the man’s hand, depositing it safely in his utility belt. “He had a sample on him, so we will be able to analyze it.”

“Keep an eye on him. We’re going to get the hostages out, and then we’ll help you move him,” Batman said.

Menagerie drew his attention by turning from her examination of Scarecrow to throw him a smirk. “You know, we actually make a pretty good team. You distract them while I come in with the sneak attack!”

He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by the lack of teasing that usually came with that look on her face. Shaking it off, he replied gruffly, “Serving only as a distraction would be a waste of my skills.”

When her smirk deepened and she took a step closer to him, he realized that it was the exact _wrong_ thing to say. “I don’t know,” she murmured, reaching up and running a finger along the edge of his mask underneath his right eye, “You’re quite good at distracting _me_.”

Heat instantly bloomed across his face, though it burned hottest along the path her finger had traced. It must have been dark enough for her to see in the dim lighting of the club, because she threw her head back and laughed.

“Robin, is someone with you?” Spoiler asked. It seemed the laughter was loud enough for his comm to pick up.

Feeling absolutely zero sympathy for the animal-themed woman in that moment, he decided to reveal her presence. “Yes. Menagerie is here.” It was his turn to smirk as the laughter abruptly stopped.

“Oh fuck!” Spoiler shouted. He knew she was headed their way.

“‘Menagerie’?” the woman in front of him asked.

“The names you give me change every time I see you. We decided to come up with our own,” he shrugged.

She tilted her head in contemplation. “I kinda like it,” she decided, “but tonight I’m Apoidea.”

His eyes tracked her movement as she started backing away from him. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I have a feeling at least one of your teammates is going to get here any minute, and I have places to be. No pun intended.”

She winked and then leapt into the air. A pair of insect wings unfolded from her back, and she flew straight up through an open window near the ceiling. Not a moment later, Spoiler raced over to where he was standing.

She looked around frantically, then visibly deflated. “She left, didn’t she?” she groaned. She continued without waiting for confirmation. “Well c’mon, we should get Scarecrow.”

She paused when she saw the man. “What—”

“Paralytic, courtesy of Menagerie. Well, Apoidea, this time,” he corrected.

Spoiler let out a huff of amusement. “That girl just gets more interesting. Alright, let’s get this guy out of here.”

They each grabbed one of Scarecrow’s bound arms and dragged him out of the club. Once they had handed him off to the police on the scene, Robin started scanning the crowd.

“Looking for someone?” Red Robin asked from where he appeared by Robin’s side.

“Yes,” he answered, still looking. At that moment, he spotted Marinette rushing over to a small group of people. He started walking toward her, ignoring whatever his brother was saying.

As he moved closer, he saw one of the girls in the group grab Marinette in a tight hug, relief evident. Shock briefly flitted across Marinette’s face, but it faded as she returned the hug. Then, he was close enough to hear the other girl’s lecture.

“—and once we got outside, we were so worried when we realized you weren’t with us! Then when we couldn’t find you after we got the antidote, we thought you might be one of the hostages!”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. We must’ve been split up by the crowd, but as you can see, I’m fine!” Marinette comforted.

“We know, we were just concerned. You haven’t been in Gotham long, after all,” one of the boys chimed in, placing his hand on Marinette’s shoulder. Robin didn’t like the sight out that—though he wasn’t sure why—so he decided it was time to interrupt.

“Ahem.”

Everyone but Marinette jumped at the sound of his voice; the only sign that she was startled was the widening of her eyes. Ignoring the rest of them, he turned to her. “Thank you for the information. It helped me capture Scarecrow before he escaped.” He hesitated but found the next words coming from his mouth anyway. “How are you feeling?”

In his peripherals, he could see all her friends gaping at them, but he was focused on her. More accurately, her reassuring smile.

“As I told them,” she said, gesturing to the group of people, “I’m fine, I got a dose of the antidote. And I’m happy I was able to help.”

With a nod of acknowledgement, he turned and headed back to where his family was gathered. Just before he was out of earshot, he could hear his fellow students burst into excited chattering. He rolled his eyes.

Once he was standing with his family again, he pulled out the notebook he had taken from the goon. Before he could say anything, however, Red Robin spoke up.

“What was that? You usually avoid talking to civilians,” he said, clearly burning with curiosity.

“She’s the person who told me where to find Scarecrow. I was thanking her,” Robin replied impatiently.

“You? Thanking somebody, much less a random civilian? Did I get hit in the head during the fight?” Spoiler said with exaggerated disbelief.

He caught himself before he could point out that she _wasn’t_ a random civilian, knowing that would only make the pestering worse. “Can you focus?” he hissed, waving the notebook in the air. “Scarecrow made a comment about ‘observing’ the hostages, and I got this off one of his men. It looked like he was taking notes.”

“So this was all just one big experiment?” Red Robin shook his head in disgust.

Batman, who had been silent up until now, took charge. “You two head back to the Cave. Robin, start going through the journal, see what you can find. Red, begin analyzing the sample Robin obtained. Spoiler, we’ll finish up here and cover the rest of patrol.”

“You got it, B-man.” Spoiler spun and marched over to the crisis response team. The two brothers each nodded and pulled out their grappling hooks, simultaneously swinging off into the night.

* * *

The next morning, Damian sat in the lecture hall for his business class, sipping on some caffeinated monstrosity he had stolen from Tim. He had been up way too late the night before combing through the notebook. Not only did it have notes from the scene at the club, but it also detailed previous experiments that had been conducted much more quietly.

He shook his head, pushing the subject out of his mind for now. He looked over as Marinette stomped down their row of seat, flinging herself into the chair next to him, all while muttering an impressive string of curse words in three—no, four—different languages under her breath.

“What’s up with you?” he asked casually, hiding his amusement.

She shot him a glare. “What, you haven’t heard? Robin and I are in love.”

He choked on his drink. Coughing a few times, he managed to let out a strangled “ _What_?”

“Did you hear about the club Scarecrow attacked?” He nodded, still trying to regulate his breathing. “I was there, and I was able to pass along information Robin about the situation before he went in. He thanked me afterwards, which is _apparently_ a big deal because he _notoriously_ avoids interacting with civilians.”

Damian frowned. He didn’t think he was _that_ obvious about it.

“Anyway, between my friends and the other people who witnessed it, half the school has heard. Rumors range from he’s confessed his love to me but I’m playing hard to get, to we’re secretly dating but he can’t acknowledge it in public for my protection.” Her voice took on a slightly more hysterical tint. “I’ve had three people _this morning_ ask if I’ve seen him without his suit on because he, and I quote, ‘must have the body of an Adonis.’ _Three_!”

Luckily, he wasn’t drinking his coffee at that moment, or he would’ve choked again. “Just ignore them. Something new will catch their attention soon.”

She sighed. “I know. I was just hoping when I came here that I could breeze through college unnoticed, and yet it’s been just over a month and here I am.” She shook her head and began pulling out her materials for class. A little quieter, almost to herself, she said, “I just don’t see what the big deal is. He seemed perfectly nice to me.”

Damian ducked his head to hide the blush that he definitely wouldn’t be able to explain, while wondering when he started caring what people thought of Robin beyond his skills as a vigilante.

He was distracted when something in Marinette’s hair caught the light. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and as she bent over her bag, he could just make out the rose gold hair comb holding it up. He leaned just a smidge closer so he could make out the design on it. What he saw caused him to freeze.

It was a bee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun DUN!! What do you think will happen next???
> 
> I don't think I've mentioned it explicitly yet, but Damian and Marinette attend [Gotham University](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Gotham_University).
> 
> Fun fact: Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka [Scarecrow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarecrow_\(DC_Comics\)), used to be a professor at Gotham University!
> 
> Lee Avenue and Sinclair are named after the men who penciled and colored [Batman: Hush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Hush), respectively.
> 
> I'm using these [two](https://i1.wp.com/batmangothamcity.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/gotham-city1.jpg?fit=966%2C1659) [maps](https://66.media.tumblr.com/df6f8aae2e2c816cd912d14aa284f441/tumblr_inline_nmoq01d61a1rym0gr_1280.jpg) as references for the geography of Gotham.
> 
> Stephanie Brown is currently [Spoiler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Brown_\(character\)) in the comics, so I used that title here too.
> 
> Lastly, the [bee miraculous](https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Bee_Miraculous) changes to rose gold, but keeps the bee design when Marinette wears it.


	7. Toro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Menagerie chat in the aftermath of Scarecrow's attack. Marinette meets a few members of Damian's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit late but a bit long to make up for it! This was actually the last chapter I planned--I really struggled to figure out what would fit here, so I hope you like it!
> 
> And y'all, almost 600 kudos? That's amazing, thank you!!
> 
> [Personality of the Ox](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/ox.htm): diligence, dependability, strength, determination, and an honest nature

The next evening, Damian sat at the meeting table in the Cave, wondering why he bothered to tell them anything.

“You’re saying your school girlfriend and your hero girlfriend are the same person? Sounds awfully convenient to me,” Jason said, keeping his eyes on the bullet he was repeatedly tossing up in the air and catching.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Damian growled, clenching his fists.

“Which one?” Cass teased.

“Either of them!” he snapped.

“Guys, stop,” Dick shot the others a look, then focused on Damian. “We’re not saying you’re wrong—we know you have good instincts, you were raised by the best on both fronts—but a similar hair accessory and a sighting at the same place? That’s not much to go on.”

“I know,” Damian said, rubbing his forehead, “but I can’t shake the feeling that they’re connected.”

“Maybe she’s involved in another way,” Barbara suggested. “You said this girl—Marinette, right?—is studying fashion? She could be the partner who makes the suits.”

“Perhaps,” Damian mused, though he wasn’t convinced.

At that moment, Tim and Bruce walked over from where they had been in deep discussion by the Batcomputer, halting any further conversation on the topic.

“Analysis of the new fear toxin shows that the effects were amplified by the addition of mescaline, a hallucinogen that’s gaining popularity in being used for studies on neural origins of psychotic symptoms. It’s hard to find; only a handful of companies in Gotham keep it in supply,” Bruce announced.

“GothCorp, Daggett Industries, and Wayne Medical,” Tim listed.

“So either shady business deals, which are the m.o. of the first two companies, or robbery,” Barbara inferred. “Which one are we thinking?”

Bruce frowned. “If it was robbery, it was covered up. Either way, it will take significant digging to find the source.”

“Meaning no answers anytime soon,” Cass translated.

“Unfortunately.” Tim ran a hand through his hair in frustration, then brightened. “But on the plus side, the new antidote should be easy to synthesize.”

“Good,” Stephanie said, nose wrinkling. “That batch did not look fun to deal with.”

“With that taken care of,” Bruce segued, “Jason, your report on the drug trafficking ring?”

Damian settled back into his seat, mostly listening to his brother’s story. Still, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help mull over the connection between Menagerie and Marinette. He would figure it out, sooner or later.

* * *

On patrol the next night, Menagerie caught up to him fairly quickly. “Toro,” was all she said when she arrived.

Her outfit was styled after the _traje de luces_ that Spanish bullfighters wear—her dark blue bodysuit was covered by a short jacket with armored shoulders. Her legs were covered by blue fabric until just past her knees, where it then changed to black all the way down to her blue-slippered feet. Her black necktie matched the black detailing on all the blue material, including her blue domino mask. Attached at her neck was a short blue cape, also covered in intricate black embroidery. Her hair stuck out from the sides of her head in braided pigtails. They were probably meant to be reminiscent of ox horns, but they reminded him more of a girl in kid’s book that Dick had tried to force him to read when he first moved into Wayne Manor. A small, dark blue nose ring with yellow spikes hung from her septum, and he could see an honest-to-God _lance_ sticking up behind her shoulder from where it was strapped to her back.

This was certainly her most eye-catching suit yet, but what Robin primarily noticed was the unusually solemn look on her face. A bit wary about what it meant, he waited for her to speak again.

“You weren’t out last night.” Coming from anyone else, it would’ve sounded like an accusation.

“We rotate patrols so that everyone has at least one or two days off each week,” he explained. Technically, he shouldn’t be telling her this because she was not an official ally of theirs, but somehow he knew that he was more likely to magically become an extrovert than she was to sell or take advantage of the information.

“Mm.” A hum and a nod were all she gave him.

“Did you…need something?” He was not accustomed to being the one to have to pry between the two of them. Is this how other people felt when they talked to him?

“Why does he do it?”

Her apparent non-sequitur prompted another question. “Who?”

“Scarecrow. Why does he do it? What’s his motivation?” Her voice remained flat as she elaborated.

“Ah.” That made a lot more sense. Robin looked down from the roof, scanning the nearby area. He gestured for her to follow as he leapt to the next building and repeated the process.

“Jonathan Crane, better known as Scarecrow, was abused by his father in the form of being a test subject for his fear-based experiments. Because of this, he developed an obsession with fear. He was actually a well-respected psychologist specializing in phobias, until he dumped spiders on an arachnophobic student while teaching at Gotham U and it was revealed that he was testing what is now his fear toxin on his patients.”

He went to move on to the next building but paused when he registered that Toro wasn’t following. He turned to see her staring at him, horrified.

“That’s awful,” she finally breathed. “Are all your villains rooted in trauma like that?”

“No,” he replied. “I still have to do patrol, so I’ll give you answers, but we have to keep moving.”

She nodded, and as they observed the next street over, he elaborated.

“Some of the people we take on are mobsters, like the Falcones or the Maronis. Others are corrupt businesspeople, like Rupert Thorne.” He grimaced. “Unfortunately, most of the ones the media focuses on are those dealing with trauma or mental illness. Two-Face was the city’s district attorney until he was scarred when someone he prosecuted threw acid in his face. The Riddler does not appear to have obsessive-compulsive disorder as it’s clinically defined, but he does suffer from obsessions and compulsions surrounding riddles. Poison Ivy was manipulated by her mentor so that he could experiment on her with poisons and toxins; she gained her powers, but she also nearly died twice in the process.”

“They should be getting help, not being gawked at by the city!” she cried.

“Believe me, I know.” He jumped the small gap to the next roof, and she was close behind. “But Arkham Asylum is trash. Harley Quinn used to work there as a psychiatrist, and Joker managed to get his hooks in her right under the noses of the rest of the staff. Some of the prominent members of the community have been pushing for reform, but the city keeps pumping money into the police instead,” he scowled. “Batman tried to help many of them, with varying success, but it can be challenging for them to stay stable when the corruption in the city works to drag them back down.”

She frowned for a moment, thinking. “What about those people who showed up with the antidote? They didn’t look like cops.”

A quick glance down showed that the streets were quiet here, too. “The crisis response team,” he replied. “The Wayne family spearheaded that project a few years ago. According to Bruce Wayne, after conversations with local activists he realized that there’s no possible way for the police to be properly trained to handle all the…interesting situations civilians get caught in in this city. There are multiple teams, each specialized in responding to the aftermath of different villains. The one you saw last night handles poisonings by Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, and others. Some focus more on handling major injuries, like the ones caused by Bane and his henchmen. All teams are staffed with therapists, medical professionals, and other necessary specialists; the rest of the people are volunteers.”

“That’s amazing,” Toro said, once Robin finished his information dump. She gazed out at the city. “The people of Gotham must be strong to be able to survive all this and still want to help others.”

Copying her, he looked over the city as well. “Yeah. This city has been put through the ringer, but we always come out on the other side.”

* * *

Friday afternoon, Damian found himself sitting in a relatively new coffee shop near campus, working on his Intro to Business project with Marinette. He didn’t have class at this time, and Marinette’s only one had been cancelled, so she had suggested the outing.

It had been going well—that is to say, he had been ignoring his suspicions despite the fact that she had been wearing a _fucking nose ring_ all week—until another group of college freshmen showed up. The girls chose a table in his line of sight, meaning he could see them staring and giggling and whispering to each other. He grit his teeth and tried his best to ignore them.

“Damian?” Marinette’s concerned voice broke through his concentration.

“What?” he growled.

“You’re typing like you’re trying to murder your keyboard,” she pointed out.

He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but his efforts were thwarted by another round of giggles. Seeing the look on his face, she shot a surreptitious glance over her shoulder and immediately noticed the girls.

“Oh,” she said, understanding. Then, “If it’s bothering you this much, you could go ask them to stop.”

He shook his head. “I’m too annoyed right now. If I went over there, I’d end up making a scene.”

“So?” She raised an eyebrow.

That response surprised him. Did she not know who he was and that it would end up in some tabloid if he berated the group? Wracking his brain, he realized that they had never had a conversation about his family—at least, not one about who his family _was_. He found himself enjoying the anonymity and gave her an answer that wouldn’t ruin it.

“I had some anger management issues when I was younger. I’ve had enough lectures about causing a scene to last a lifetime,” he said, not untruthfully.

“We could move to a different coffee shop,” she offered. When she caught sight of his hands, now clenched into fists, she reconsidered. “Or maybe we should just call it a day. I’d offer up my place, but I’m in the middle of a few projects so it looks like a fabric bomb went off.”

He considered his options. They could meet another time to keep working, but they had made a lot of progress so far and he’d rather keep the momentum going. Plus, he preferred to work ahead, as the unpredictable nature of his extracurricular activities made it difficult to leave things to the last minute. Going to another public place was out of the question; they would almost certainly be followed.

Realizing that the only option left would result in him losing the anonymity he had only just discovered, he sighed. “We can go to my place.”

“Okay!” she agreed without hesitation. They gathered up their things and quickly made their way outside.

Once they were standing on the street, she looked at him. “How long is the walk?”

He shook his head and directed them down the sidewalk toward the parking garage that held his car while he was at school. “Actually, we’re driving.”

“Oh,” she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “I like walking around the city.”

He froze. “By yourself?”

His alarm must’ve shown on his face, because she tried to reassure him. “Yes, but I only do it during the day, and I know how to protect myself.”

He would’ve been less trusting of her last statement if he weren’t halfway convinced she was a vigilante. But just in case she wasn’t, he said, “Make sure you bring pepper spray and stay aware of your surroundings.”

She leaned toward him, a grin on her face. “Are you worried about me? How sweet.” Before he could protest, she changed the subject. “Anyway, why are we driving?”

“I grew up in Gotham, and I decided to live at home during school, even though it’s farther from the university than an apartment or the dorms would be,” he explained.

“Oh, to save money?” she asked.

“Something like that,” he replied evasively.

Any further questions from Marinette were cut off by their arrival at his Stingray. They slid inside, and she looked around, taking in the sleek interior.

“This is…nice,” she said, a little suspicious. “Are you, uh, into cars?”

“Not really,” Damian answered, unwilling to give anything away quite yet. She’d figure out why he was driving something expensive as soon as she saw the manor.

“Oh, okay. Can I pick the music?” she asked, an eager look on her face.

“Sure, the car has Bluetooth.” He wasn’t expecting her squeal of excitement, and he _definitely_ wasn’t expecting the French rap that started blasting from the speakers.

He glanced over at her, about to comment on the music choice, but stopped when he saw her flawlessly rapping along with the song. It was kind of…endearing. Of course, when she arched an eyebrow and her lips curled into a smirk, never breaking the flow of the words, as she caught him watching, it shifted from endearing to _electrifying_.

He swallowed and faced forward again.

They continued like this until they made their way out of the city proper. It was before rush hour, so they reached the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge fairly quickly. Once they started crossing it, Marinette turned the volume down until she could be heard over it.

“I’ve never been this far out of the city, except for the airport,” she said, face practically pressed to the glass as they drove over the water. “I didn’t realize people lived out here.”

“My family has been in Gotham for a long time,” he explained vaguely. “The house we live in has been passed down through the generations.”

She gave him a look as if he were a puzzle she was trying to figure out but didn’t say anything else.

They continued to drive with only the music breaking the silence between them. She watched the scenery until they reached the large gate marking the Wayne property.

“ _Mon dieu_ ,” she breathed, eyes widening as they moved down the driveway, the manor growing larger and larger.

Finally, they reached the end, and Damian parked the car along the edge of the driveway, to the right of the main entrance. They stepped out, and he walked over to the passenger side, where Marinette was standing and staring at the building. He stood next to her, hands in his pockets, waiting for her to process the situation.

Suddenly, she whipped around to face him. “You called it a house, not a mansion!”

Feeling a bit like the bratty kid he used to be, he shot back, “Actually, we prefer the term ‘manor,’”

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then sighed. “You rich kids are all the same.” She shook her head. “This explains so much about you.”

“Oh? Like what?” he asked, heading to the front doors.

“The car, the clothes, the fangirls,” she listed, trailing alongside him. “Oh, and the weirdly formal way of talking you sometimes slip into.”

He opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by the doors swinging open.

“Master Damian, welcome home.” Alfred, as always, had impeccable timing. “And you brought a guest. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss…”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Just Marinette is fine!”

“Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss Marinette. My name is Alfred.”

Marinette looked like she wanted to protest the formality, but Damian caught her eye and subtly shook his head. He knew it wasn’t worth it.

“Hello Alfred. Do you know where the rest of the family is?” He hoped that the butler’s ability to know, well, _everything_ would work in his favor.

“Masters Bruce, Richard, and Timothy are at Wayne Enterprises, and Miss Barbara is at the library. Master Jason is still…traveling, and Miss Stephanie and Miss Cassandra are attending an aerial silks class,” Alfred informed them.

Perfect. He should be able to get Marinette out of here before any of them got home, none the wiser.

“I will prepare some snacks while you get settled and bring them to you. Unless the two of you would prefer some _privacy_.”

Damian heard Marinette choke on air at Alfred’s insinuation. He pinched the bridge of his nose, willing away the red he felt coloring his cheeks. “She’s here to work on a project for class, nothing else.”

“Ah, so you will be in the library then.” Without waiting for confirmation, Alfred disappeared.

Damian shook his head, then started leading the way to the library. “I apologize for Alfred. He’s our butler in name, but truly our grandfather. And he _really_ wants great-grandchildren.”

“It’s fine!” Marinette squeaked, then cleared her throat. “So, you’re part of _the_ Wayne family, huh? I didn’t know.”

He snorted. “How many Wayne families did you think there were in Gotham?”

“Hey, I’m foreign, it could be a popular name for all I know!” she said defensively. Then, more inquisitively, “Are all those people Alfred named your family members?”

“More or less,” he said. “Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Cassandra Cain are my adopted siblings. Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown are close family friends who are basically our sisters. And I’m sure even you know who Bruce Wayne is,” he teased.

She shot him a dirty look, and he chuckled, before continuing. “Most of my siblings don’t live here, but everyone has a room and we often have family dinner.” And, of course, they frequently gather in the basement to go out and fight crime, but he wasn’t about to include that little tidbit.

They reached the ornate doors to the library, which he promptly pulled open.

* * *

An hour later, they were wrapping up the work that they had wanted to get done on their project. They were outlining what they still had left to do when the sound of a car door slamming made Damian freeze. He abruptly stood, ignoring Marinette’s confused expression, and walked over to the window.

Shit. Cassandra and Stephanie were climbing out of Cass’ car. He turned back to his partner.

“We need to go.” He didn't bother with his stuff—he'd come back for it later. He helped her gather her things and ushered her out into the hallway.

“Damien, what—”

“Shh,” he interrupted. Silence was crucial now. He considered their options. The main entrance was obviously compromised, but depending on how long his sisters were talking to Alfred, they could probably make it to the door at the end of the hallway leading to the side garden and then sneak their way around from there. Just as he grabbed her elbow to pull her along, his plans were ruined.

“Dami, when Alfred told us you had a guest over, we thought he had been listening to too many of those comedy podcasts he tries to hide from us.”

He let out a long-suffering sigh, resigned to his fate. “Brown.”

She ignored him. “Hi! I'm Stephanie, this miscreant’s sister!” In the blink of an eye, Steph had Marinette wrapped in a hug. Marinette stiffened and then gently hugged her back, shooting Damian a look over the older woman’s shoulder. Her face had gone from confused to downright bewildered.

“Cass,” the other woman smiled.

By the time Steph released her, Marinette had recovered. “ _Salut_ , I'm Marinette.”

Damian could see his sisters zeroing in on the backpack the French girl had slug haphazardly over one shoulder. “Dami wasn’t rushing you out of here, was he?” Steph gave him an unimpressed look.

“You should stay for dinner,” Cass offered.

Alright, he had heard enough. “Actually, Marinette has work to do at home, so if you’ll excuse us—” He tried to push past them, but they weren’t having it.

“Don’t be rude, Little D,” Cass chastised.

Steph crossed her arms. “Yes, let Marinette make the decision for herself.” With that, they both turned to her in expectation.

Marinette gave them an apologetic grin. “Sorry, but he’s right, I do have stuff to work on.” When their expressions fell, she hurried to add, “But I would love to come back for a meal another day!”

“Great!” Steph brightened, and then turned to lead them back to the main entrance. “We’ll need to get your number, of course—Dami is _useless_ at making plans with others—and then we can pick a day…”

He groaned internally as he shadowed the three women. This was exactly what he didn’t want to happen.

As they neared the front doors, Stephanie fell back a few steps until she was next to him while Cassandra and Marinette were caught up in a conversation about their favorite Chinese dishes.

“She’s the civilian from the club!” Steph said excitedly, keeping her voice low enough that only he would hear.

“Yes,” he replied, silently willing her to drop this, at least until Marinette was gone.

Instead, she shook her head. “I should’ve put it together when you told us you saw her there.” Then, a self-satisfied grin spread across her face. “The others are going to be _pissed_ that Cass and I got to meet her first.”

“Can we not do this now?” he hissed, nodding significantly at Marinette’s back.

“Fiiine,” she said, dragging out the word. “Looks like it’s time for you to go anyway.”

They had reached the main hall, and Damian had no qualms about dragging Marinette out the door while his sisters called their goodbyes and promises to text. It was only once they were seated in his car that she spoke to him.

“Damian…what was that?”

He sighed. “That was my family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y'all tell that I'm a mental health professional?? Lol
> 
> We got a lot of notes, so buckle up.
> 
> Here's more info on Scarecrow's [fear toxin](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Scarecrow%27s_Fear_Toxin).
> 
> [Mescaline](https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Mescaline) is a psychedelic that occurs naturally in a bunch of different classes. I'm not sure if it's actually used for research like I mentioned, but psilocybin, another psychedelic, is used, which is where I got the idea!
> 
> [GothCorp](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/GothCorp) is where Mr. Freeze worked before he became Mr. Freeze. [Daggett Industries](https://dcau.fandom.com/wiki/Daggett_Industries) was first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series. [Wayne Medical](https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Wayne_Enterprises) is a branch of Wayne Enterprises.
> 
> [Traje de luces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traje_de_luces) translates to "suit of lights." The link has more info about each piece of the costume.
> 
> Marivictal on tumblr drew their version of a bullfighter-inspired suit after I told them that was my plan for this one. You can check it out [here](https://marivictal.tumblr.com/post/626776840530444288/more-marinette-redesigns-and-kwami-swaps-ox)!
> 
> The girl in the book Damian references is [Pippi Longstocking](https://www.google.com/search?q=pippi+longstocking&source=lmns&bih=681&biw=1440&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiKtqOp4bfrAhWJhVMKHc5XC2kQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA).
> 
> More info on all the villains I name in this chapter can be found [here](https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Batman_Rogues_Gallery). Many of them have had multiple backstories over the years, so I just picked the ones I liked the best.
> 
> The [ox miraculous](https://miraculousladybug.fandom.com/wiki/Ox_Miraculous) is also rose gold in camouflage mode!
> 
> I don't know anything about cars, especially cars that rich people would drive, so I got the name of the Stingray from this list: [10 Real Cars That Batman Would Have in His Collection](https://www.goliath.com/auto/10-real-cars-that-batman-would-have-in-his-collection/)
> 
> [This](https://youtu.be/E552-MiRi18) the song Marinette played in the car. I discovered the artist through the show The Boys, which I highly recommend to all superhero fans out there!
> 
> [Robert H. Kane Memorial Bridge](https://dcuniverseonline.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_H._Kane_Memorial_Bridge)
> 
> Lastly, I listen to way too many podcasts so hit me up if you ever want some recs :)


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